The Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas has warned that extreme forms of online pornography are encouraging people to commit rape and murder.
The Daily Mail reports that extreme online pornography could encourage people to act out their fantasies in reality – including committing murder and violent sexual crimes.
Lord Thomas as speaking to MPs on the Commons Justice Committee on Tuesday (27/01/15) when he made his comments – the Daily Mail is currently running a campaign called “Block Online Porn”.
Lord Thomas recently refused an appeal by killer James Reynolds, 23, whose 17-year-old girlfriend was murdered after he persuaded her to pose for a fantasy “photo shoot” with a rope round her neck.
Reynolds had been watching online porn before his girlfriend arrived at his home. As she posed naked on a chair with the rope round her neck, Reynolds kicked the box away and she was hanged. Reynolds then took images of her after she died.
Lord Thomas told the Commons Justice Committee:
“What is available to download and to see is simply horrific – and it played a real part in the way in which this particular murder was carried out.”
Other prominent murders have also been carried out after the killer had been watching extreme online pornography.
Ministers have already forced Internet providers to block around 100,000 websites relating to child abuse.
Campaigners are continuing to call for a block on violent and child pornography.
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